This book is gay review

Home / gay topics / This book is gay review

okay. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction.

this book is gay review

Among the reasons I saw cited for the challenges and book bans were that it contains testimonies of LGBTQIA+ people, information about sex education, and sexually explicit content.

The book does have some information on sex between partners with a focus on safety. Queer. I haven't read it yet myself, but The ABCs of LGBT+ has been recommended in the comments and it does sound great.

This Book is Gay

This Book Is Gayis a 2014 young adult self-help book written by Juno Dawson to help teenagers understand the world of LGBTQ+ identities.

You matter. On page 214 it says:

However, all people - gay or otherwise - must recognize that there is one universal truth of the universe:

WE ALL WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH LOADS OF PEOPLE.

Apparently, mentioning and defining asexuality at the beginning is enough and you don't have to acknowledge them again.

So what now?
The title is actually quite telling.

This book is gay - and binary. The backmatter has a super fun section listing and defining gay icons that is a lot of fun to read, too.

This Book is Gay was One of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2023

This Book is Gay was one of the top ten most challenged books of 2023. The third and last option is where identity, or “the name game,” starts.

Chapter 3 (“You Can’t Mistake our Biology”) explores several theories for the biological basis for LGBTQ+ identities.

Mentioning that this isn't actually true once or twice doesn't erase what has been spread before.

Another passage is also rather telling. Don't like this review. I gave it two stars because I don't consider this book to be very inclusive, especially when it comes to non-binary people and/or those who are not gay or lesbian (i.e.

You will be informed. Bisexual. The book is a U.K. import, and while U.S.–based readers shouldn’t have much trouble understanding Briticisms like “fancy” or “shag,” some of the anti-discrimination laws referenced won’t apply.

Dawson uses humor in This Book Is Gay to communicate complex and stigmatized ideas to people who don’t fully understand what it means to be LGBTQ+.

well, I can't recommend that.

People have been asking for alternative titles you might read instead. Dawson first explores the variety of identities covered by the LGBTQ+ umbrella term.

Content Warning:This Book Is Gay addresses the following topics: anti-LGBTQ+ biases, anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, rape, suicide, self-harm, drug use, and racism.

Summary

This Book Is Gay is divided into an introduction, 12 chapters, and several sections of back matter filled with resources.

This book is for anyone who’s ever dared to wonder.